Ephesians: Grace & Mercy Election

EXODUS 33:

11: "AND THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES FACE TO FACE, AS A MAN SPEAKETH UNTO HIS FRIEND ... "

13: (MOSES SPEAKING)

" ... I PRAY THEE, IF I HAVE FOUND GRACE IN THY SIGHT, SHOW ME NOW THY WAY, THAT I MAY KNOW THEE ... "

14: (GOD SPEAKING)

" ... MY PRESENCE SHALL GO WITH THEE, AND I WILL GIVE THEE REST".

15: (MOSES SPEAKING)

" ... IF THY PRESENCE GO NOT WITH ME, CARRY US NOT UP HENCE ... ".

17: (GOD SPEAKING)

"I WILL DO THIS THING ALSO THAT THOU HAST SPOKEN: FOR THOU HAST FOUND GRACE IN MY SIGHT, AND I KNOW THEE BY NAME".

19: (GOD SPEAKING)

" ... I WILL PROCLAIM THE NAME OF THE LORD BEFORE THEE,

... AND WILL BE GRACIOUS TO WHOM I WILL BE GRACIOUS, AND WILL SHOW MERCY ON WHOM I WILL SHOW MERCY".

In Ephesians 1 :4-5 we are taught that God the Father predestined His people "in love". It was our Creator's great love that moved Him to call us out (one by one) from the passion we had for Satan and the kingdom of darkness. The One who is too holy to look upon sin (Hab 1: 13) set His loving gaze upon us in the misery of our own impurity and willful profaning of all that is good in order to make us new. He adopted us unto holiness even though we were unholy. This is a great mystery but we know it is not because we are in ourselves better than those not chosen in His love. Scripture (verse 5) says only that His choice to love His people is according to the purpose of His will.

We have many passages of scripture which teach us that the Lord makes choices within His own will and purpose for the application of His grace & mercy.

Deut 7:6-8.teaches that the Hebrew people were chosen not because of anything they had done, but only chosen because the Lord set His love on them.

Psalm 47:4 teaches that" ... He chose our heritage for us ... ".

Malachi 1 :2-3 teaches that He loved Jacob but did not love as much Esau the twin. (KJV says He hated). Paul teaches this lesson again in Romans 9:10-13.

Ephesians 2:8-10 teaches clearly our own choosing is by His grace, with nothing possible done by ourselves to merit or arrange it.

John 1:13 teaches that our salvation is not of blood (inherited), nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ·,

Acts 13 :48 teaches that those Gentiles who were ordained by God to eternal life then believed.

Titus 3:5 teaches that our salvation is not of works we have done, but by His mercy are we saved.

Jesus himself teaches two strong lessons in John 6:

Verse 37 teaches all the father gives Him shall come to Him.

Verse 44 teaches that no man can come to Him except by the Father's drawing.

Jeremiah 1 teaches that he was known and ordained by God before he was conceived and formed.

So Paul helps us to understand in his letter to Ephesus these teachings by making sure we grasp that salvation is by the choosing of God for each believer to become part of the elect family in Christ.

Further Paul helps us to understand that this election ( choosing) becomes more effective through sanctification led by the Lord's gift of His Holy Spirit.

All chosen will come through Jesus and none who do shall ever again be lost.